JAPAN

Rice Policy Won’t Change: Japan has ruled out immediate concessions on its ban on rice imports, choosing not to follow the lead of the European Community, which has decided to cut its farm subsidies. An Agriculture Ministry official, Fumito Mizuma, downplayed the significance of the EC decision, noting that the EC and the United States still haven’t reached an agreement and that President Bush may have a problem persuading Congress to cut U.S. farm subsidies in an election year. It’s also an election year in Japan. Politicians of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party depend heavily on rural support and are expected to resist changes that would threaten farmers before nationwide parliamentary elections scheduled for late July.